Disability (Disability)

Each Disability (Disability) is uniquely identified by:

• Disability (DISABILITY)
• Student identifier (SID)

This data must be returned for all students in coverage at the start of their Engagement i.e. by the end of the reference period in which their first associated StudentCourseSession begins. If the data is not known by the provider 99 'Not available' should be returned in Disability.DISABILITY.

This data must be updated throughout a Student's Engagement where applicable.

Advance HE suggested question:

Do you have an impairment, health condition or learning difference that has a substantial or long term impact on your ability to carry out day to day activities?

Advance HE also recommend including additional explanation for this question such as:

Under the Equality Act 2010, a person is considered to have a disability 'if they have a physical or mental impairment, and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities'. 'Substantial' is defined by the Act as 'more than minor or trivial'. An impairment is considered to have a long term effect if:

• it has lasted for at least 12 months


• it is likely to last for at least 12 months, or


• it is likely to last for the rest of the life of the person.

Normal day-to-day activities are not defined in the Act, but in general they are things people do on a regular or daily basis, for example eating, washing, walking, reading, writing or having a conversation. Only serious visual impairments are covered by the Equality Act 2010. For example, a person whose eyesight can be corrected through the use of prescription lenses is not covered by the Act; neither is an inability to distinguish between red and green. The same logic does not apply to hearing aids. If someone needs to wear a hearing aid, then they are likely to be covered by the Act. However, both hearing and visual impairments have to have a substantial adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities in order for a person to be covered by the Act.